15 to go?
Unfortunately, or fortunately, we will probably be losing up to 15 players in the new season, including the six loans.
So said Glenn Roeder in the Pink’un this week. The six loan players (Alex Pearce, Mo Camara, Kieran Gibbs, James Henry, Ryan Bertrand and Ched Evans) are therefore givens but who else will be either making a hasty dash for, or bundled out of, the door marked “Exit!”?
I’ve had a little think, and if I was a betting man I wouldn’t stray too far away from this collection of heroes and misfits (I’ll leave you to do the categorising):
Dion Dublin. The veteran forward has already made his intentions to retire at the end of the season clear enabling him to spend more time practicing the saxophone and doing media work, so Dion is an obvious “lock” for one of the places.
Since returning to the club where he started his career, City’s number 9 has made nearly 60 appearances, scored 10 times, and was voted second in last season’s Player of the Season awards (my vote was obviously not enough).
Darren Huckerby. The two-time Player of the Season is also out of contract at the end of the current campaign, and the noises coming from his agent suggest he won’t be plying his trade around here next year (although to be fair the same agent said there was no chance of him playing for the Canaries in the first place).
Judging by Roeder’s previous comments you have to believe that he doesn’t think Hucks will still be here either, but, as I’ve said in the past, I just hope he gets the chance to go out with a bang.
Ryan Jarvis. Shipped off on loan to Notts County in League Two, Jarvis senior is another out of contract at the end of the season and few would bet on his return.
As I said a couple of weeks ago being labeled the “next big thing” probably hasn’t done Ryan too many favours, but the chances are he’ll have someone close to hand to comfort him in the shape of…
Rossi Jarvis. I don’t anticipate it being a very happy Jarvis household this summer in the slightest.
Juan Valesco. The Spanish right-back was signed on a short-term deal recently, and is probably therefore a decent shout to fill one of the positions on the “hit list” - unless he gets a chance to shine in the meantime of course.
Simon Lappin. There aren’t too many of Peter Grant’s signings left, and I think that after the summer there’ll be at least one less.
Matthew Halliday. Halliday signed a new one-year extension to his contract last summer, but I’m not expecting it to be renewed.
Robert Eagle. He of long, floppy blond hair fame signed a one-year extension to his contract last summer, and like Halliday, I doubt his will be renewed.
Bally Smart. Smart is another youngster who is out of contract in the summer, and since returning from his loan spell at MK Dons has never really got close to the first team.
I think it is probably fair to say only a few would be missed, and would leave us with a starting eleven probably consisting of: Marshall, Drury, Doherty, Shackell, Otsemobor, Pattison, Russell, Fotheringham, Croft, Cureton, Martin.
On the surface that doesn’t seem too bad, but who would be on the bench? You can see why Roeder faces such a difficult task.
You’ll also notice I’ve made a few presumptions in there, including the very large one that Gary Doherty and Mark Fotheringham have signed new contracts. Both have made positive statements about their desire to stay but it remains to be seen whether or not they actually sign on the dotted line.
Nugent decides not to become a temporary tractor boy.
I was surprised but not particularly disappointed to hear that Portsmouth striker David Nugent has decided to stay on the South Coast and play for Pompey’s reserves rather than join Jim Magilton’s promotion seeking Tractor Boys on loan.
On the surface it would seem to be yet another example of the modern Premier League footballer preferring to kick their heels in the ressies picking up their pay-cheque rather than going out and playing first-team football somewhere.
One thing that can’t be denied though is Ipswich going for a player of Nugent’s ilk is a definite statement of intent, and if they don’t go up this year will almost certainly be there or thereabouts next term. Something for us all to look forward to then.
Play-Offs for the Canaries? Not this season I’m afraid.
You may recall that a few weeks ago I made some predictions about the rest of our games for this season, where I said that I felt as few as 68 or 69 points could be needed for a play-off place. That’s looking like being nearer the normal 73-75 mark now.
Here’s where we are compared to where I thought we would be:
9th February - Cardiff City (A). My prediction: Draw. Actual result: Norwich win.
12th February - Hull City (H). My prediction: Norwich to win. Actual result: Draw.
16th February - Leicester City (A). My prediction: Norwich to win. Actual result: Leicester win.
23rd February - Barnsley (H). My prediction: Norwich to win. Actual result: Norwich win.
1st March - Blackpool (H). My prediction: Norwich to win. Actual result: Blackpool win.
4th March - Watford (A). My prediction: Watford to win. Actual result: Draw.
According to my predictions we should be sitting on 51 points by now with ten games to go (which would put us somewhere around tenth), but we actually have 46.
It was always going to be a long-shot given our ridiculously bad start to the season, but I’d settle for a nice mid-table finish now to be perfectly honest, and then onwards and upwards to next season.
Which leads us nicely onto…
Season Ticket sales something to be proud of.
The club announced that over 18,000 season tickets have so far been sold for next season with some pride, and rightly so
Norwich City supporters are often praised for their loyalty and support by the club, but following the lacklustre last couple of years we have endured it is a real achievement to sell just 3,000 less season tickets than the average gate enjoyed by our friends down the road - and all whilst they are having a good time of it as well.
Until next week…
OTBC
Who do you think will be shown the exit door this summer? Are you on the 18,000 that have already renewed their season ticket? Can City still make the play-offs? Does it matter? Let me know what you think…
